Writers Write
With Apologies to Dr. Seuss
February, 2021
When people ask me why I write, my answer is always that I am compelled to do so. As soon as I could hold a pen in my hand and formulate thoughts to put down on the page, that’s what I did. I also loved to draw. Art and writing were my escape from the large-family chaos all around me, and I would sometimes escape for hours.
The first time I realized that my writing and art could have power was the day my little sister Alicia could not find her cat. Alicia was crying, and I wanted her to stop being so sad. I drew and illustrated a story about her cat returning home. The last panel was a drawing of the cat with its tail in the air and a word bubble for the cat which said, “Ta-Ta, I’m home.”
As soon as I finished writing and drawing, I read my story to my little sister. She stopped crying, and right on cue, her cat showed up at the front door! I’m not saying the story and pictures made the cat come back home, but the magic was that my sister stopped crying to hear the story. For her, just knowing that someone cared eased her concern. The cat returning home was just a bonus!
I used to be surprised when I heard some adult saying that they wanted to learn to be a writer. This used to seem odd to me. If you were born to be a writer, wouldn’t you already be a writer? Then, I myself learned that my attitude was rather elitist, as well as wrong.
There’s an anonymous saying that I have always loved, which is, “Anyone can go to heaven, but no one has the right to keep anyone else out of heaven.” The Bible even says this. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Whosoever means anyone and everyone who wants to believe. No one has the power to change this.
Likewise, whosoever wants to do so can be a writer, call himself/herself a writer, want to learn to write, etc. This is like the anonymous saying and the Bible verse. Anyone (whosoever) can be a writer, but no one has the right to keep anyone else from writing.
Yes, people can learn to write at any age. It’s just putting words on paper. There will always be different levels of writing. Whether some people write better than others is sometimes just a matter of opinion. I may love a particular author, but perhaps you don’t, and vice versa. That doesn’t make one of those writers right or wrong. People are just attracted to different styles and genres.
I have encountered writers who have great stories to tell but need help with grammar and punctuation. I have also encountered writers who are incredibly skilled in a grammatical sense, but lack the ability to offer interesting stories. A lot of us are somewhere in the middle.
What also doesn’t matter is why we write. You may even have several reasons. When I first started writing, I wrote just to distract myself from what was going on around me (plus I could not help but write). Later, I wrote to try to make other people feel something. For the latter reason, publication (or at least public reading) is necessary. Yet, both reasons for writing fulfill a need I have to put words on paper.
I have a friend who writes down a lot of great ideas in his phone, but he rarely gets around to actually writing the story. That’s none of my concern. Apparently, even this limited amount of writing serves some purpose for him or he wouldn’t do it. Maybe someday, he will write that story. It doesn’t matter if you are a slow writer or a fast writer. Remember, sometimes the tortoise beats the hare! It’s true; Aesop told me. My friend might write The Great American Novel after all. If he doesn’t, he will always have his list of ideas.
With all of this in mind, I have composed a simple poem for you, with apologies to Dr. Seuss who influenced the style. Although I would never claim to be on the level of wonder created by Dr. Seuss, this will not stop me from trying! After all, I am a writer.
The Right to Write
You can write words with a pen
You can write words in the den
You can write your words on a tablet
Writing can be your favorite habit
You can even use some markers
Sometimes, you can write with sparklers
You can write when you’re at home
You can write when you’re in Rome
Go write quickly or oh, so slow
Write about the places you go
You can write for publication
You can write for syndication
You can write words for yourself
You can write for everyone else
You can write words in a journal
Your can write of things eternal
You can write words in your diary
You can write a line of inquiry
Yes, you can even use a laptop
You can write in a coffee shop
The only rule that is fast and tight
(and may you clearly see the light)
Know that you do not have the right
To tell anybody NOT to write
Finally, I am not aware of any other creature other than a human being that can hold a writing implement (or use a computer) to use words. Be the whosever you choose to be in your writing, and enjoy you ability to create!
